Mask of Fire
by FluffleNeCharka
Summary: [Avatar: The Last Airbender crossover] Azula, the heir to the Fire Nation, is sent to the Frizz's class to teach her friendship and curve her sadistic impulses. Will this plan work, or is Azula too far gone to fit in even in Ms. Frizzle's class?
1. Arrival

Author's Notes: Yes, you read the summary correctly. I **am** crossing Avatar: the Last Airbender into The Magic School Bus. However, Azula is the only Avatar character who is making an appearance; I'm trying to keep this very Magi School Bus-oriented. (Note that she is school age at this point.) If I'm not doing a good job, here, please let me know. I'd really like it if you reviewed, even if it's nothing fancy, just to see if anyone likes this.

And by the way: Carlos's humor is awesome to write. XD (Sorry. But it must be said.)

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"Class, we're going to have a new student joining us today," Ms. Frizzle announced in her usual upbeat manner, "She's from a country very far from here, so I want you to make her feel welcome."

"_Well_, she should _come_ in! Get it?"

"CARLOS!"

Ms. Frizzle gave Carlos a smile; she was the only one who ever 'got' his humor. He grinned back, proud of his groan inducing puns which were, at this point, something the class had grudgingly come to love.

Smiling, she opened the door to let in a very unusual looking girl. Though she'd made an attempt at dressing 'American' for her first day, her black hair was in a topknot that was classically Asian, and her eyes had a little bit of a slant to them. That aside, she looked normal (if not a little fairer skinned than normal). Black pants. Sleeveless dark red shirt. Black, stiff metal wristlets. Nothing that made her stand out, save her dark, stormy expression.

"Class, this is Azula Crizhai."

"Hi, Azula," the class chorused.

Ralphie blinked. "Where are you from?"

"Far enough away to be interesting," Ms. Frizzle smiled, and Azula smiled back, if only briefly. "Now, let's see… why don't you sit between Arnold and Carlos?"

Arnold smiled nervously as Azula plopped into the usually vacant desk, acknowledging him with a polite nod and focusing on the board. Carlos held out his hand, on which there was a joke buzzer. She shook his hand, but somehow _he_ got the shock instead. He jumped in his seat, comically waving his hand as only Carlos could.

Keesha chuckled. "I like this girl already."

Phoebe giggled.

And, of course, because this moment was a bit too normal, Ms. Frizzle decided that then was the moment for a field trip. After all, nothing brought the class together and made a new student feel at ease quite like shrinking down to a near impossible size and exploring the science of every day things. There was no better way to create friendship between students.

So she thought…

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	2. Aftershock

Author's Note: I felt bad the first chapter was so short, so I'm posting this chapter along with it. I tried to get Azula's view on this situation into the fic at this point. Not sure if it worked, though…

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Azula had been having a very bad day.

First, she had been woken up before the sun even rose – something positively _sacrilegious_ as far as her family was normally concerned – and hadn't even been able to eat breakfast, because her uncle was urging her to get dressed 'simply'. Apparently 'simply' meant no arm protectors, no protective clothing, and no baggy clothing. Also, no layers. Thus she spent her first waking moments going through everything in her closet while her uncle packed everything she was throwing around. When she finally found an outfit that was 'simple' enough, she was then told to say goodbye to her family.

No one wanted to tell her where she was going, although apparently her brother was going somewhere else, too. Her mother hugged her tight and wished her the best of luck, then went off to check that both Zuko and Azula had 'proper' clothing packed. Azula was unable to find her father, much to her anger (the sun was just rising – he couldn't be working yet). And after all that rushing and running, she was given three packs (no servants to carry them either!) and told to carry them outside into a ridiculous yellow, metal thing of some sort.

She'd gotten on, glared at the orange-haired woman who spoke quickly with uncle Iroh, then laid her head down to attempt to at least be still until the sun was up – so help her Agni, she was at least trying to show some respect – and then the next thing she knew, she was practically in a whole different world, thrust into classes with unfamiliar children, and to top it all off, they were all now aboard the yellow thing once more, bound for who knew where, and her opinion far too cramped together for royalty such as herself.

"I thought today we'd review some old lessons," Ms. Frizzle said, and Azula _knew_ it was for her benefit and glared at her fiercely. "Besides, I think that chemistry will be much more fun with me along this time."

Everyone chuckled or shifted nervously.

Dorothy Ann smiled brightly at Azula. "So, how do you like it here so far?"

"I've only been here for thirty minutes." Azula snapped. "But at this point, I have to say I just want to go home."

"Aw, c'mon," Carlos piped up, "This class is awesome, if you get my _point_."

Azula hit him without even glancing over. He fell over onto Phoebe. Both of them stared at her in shock. Dead silence fell over the bus for a moment as she looked over at Carlos coolly. His nose was beginning to bleed. She smirked, and at that moment everyone began to figure out why her parents had named her after a demon. After a moment of silence, everyone began speaking at once.

"Is it just me, or was that a little mean?"

"That's not right," Arnold exclaimed, only to cower beneath her golden-eyed glare. "I, I mean…"

Tim looked at her with wide eyes, "You can't just hit people!"

"Why not?" Azula asked without a hint of emotion.

"It's against school rules!" Wanda told her, not even flinching under Azula's steely glare. "Apologize to Carlos right now."

"He deserved it," Azula said, a hint of glee in her voice. "He wasn't funny."

"And that was?" Arnold asked.

"Yes."

"That's enough!" Ms. Frizzle stopped the bus, stormed back to Azula's seat, and hauled the sadistic princess out the door. "Look, I know it's hard being the new girl, and I know you may be feeling vulnerable-" At this point, Azula's jaw dropped- the insolence! "-But in my class, we have certain rules, and unless you want me to call your father, you will not touch any of my students."

Azula didn't know what was more infuriating; the fact that Ms. Frizzle was so calm, or that she presumed to tell the heir of the Fire Nation what to do. As it was, she ground her teeth together and nodded, not wanting to anger her father with a bad behavior report.

No one on the bus would sit with her. Big surprise there. Like she cared about commoners anyway. Fools didn't even look like Benders. They'd be totally useless on the battlefield, really. How this nation managed to keep going, she didn't know, but she suspected she was the only one here who could wield any sort of weapon. Yes, today was terrible. Totally, utterly terrible.

She thought it couldn't get worse.

Then Ms. Frizzle assigned Arnold, the wimpiest kid in existence, to sit next to her.

"Oh my _Agni_," she muttered, dejectedly staring out the window. "I had to jinx it."


	3. Agni

"Azula?"

"Yes, Arnold?" she snapped, pronouncing his name in a clipped way that reflected the harsh, short sounds found in Fire Nation language.

"What does 'Agni' mean?"

Azula stared at him as if he were an absolute idiot, and he blushed faintly. Expression dead serious, she replied, "Agni is the god of the sun."

Carlos snorted.

Tim immediately elbowed him.

"Don't do that! It puts me in _Ag-o-ni_."

"CARLOS!"

Carlos grinned until he realized he was facing dual glares from Dorothy Ann and Tim. Though neither of these two usually glared, their faces proved to be very intimidating when they did break from routine and glare at someone. Slowly his grin faded and he sank back into his seat. Dorothy Ann wasn't that bad. But Tim's already steady features held a longer-lasting glare. Carlos glanced between Tim, Dorothy Ann, then back to Tim.

"What?"

Keesha quipped, "It's really rude to make fun of other people's religions, Carlos."

Azula quirked an eyebrow at her. After she'd hit Carlos, she didn't expect the other kids to defend her. That defied all logic; they should have been sticking up for him, closing the ranks, as it were. Then again, Keesha _had_ seemed to approve of her, earlier. Perhaps she was missing something here. No matter. Any defense was good, especially if the other kids handled it. That meant she wouldn't have to hit anyone else (for now).

Carlos rolled his eyes. "And I suppose there's a god of the moon, too?"

"God_dess_," Azula corrected. "Yue."

Ralphie looked over curiously. "Are you sure it's a goddess? The moon doesn't seem all that girly?"

Azula grinned like a shark. "Oh, and girls can't have positions of power, is that what you're saying?"

Instantly, every female student on the bus turned to stare at Ralphie. Azula snickered behind her hands as Arnold sat motionless before her, stunned. After a moment, he groaned and facepalmed as the girls all began speaking at once. Azula smirked, smugly satisfied in her trouble-making (nothing was funnier than a peasant caught off guard). She glanced over at Arnold.

"What? It's funny."

"No it's not," he muttered. "Ralphie didn't even do anything."

"You're such a weak flame." Azula replied coolly. "But you get why Yue is a goddess, right?"

Arnold paused, the gears in his mind turning. "Because Agni and Yue are opposites?"

"Very good," Azula clapped mockingly. "I knew there was a reason I got paired with you. You're not totally dim."

"…Thank you?"

"Listen up, class," Ms. Frizzle announced brightly, "Today, I thought we'd revisit the dinosaurs. Buckle up!"

Azula was about to ask what in Agni's name a dinosaur was when the bus lurched forward and off the ground, like the wooden roller coaster at the Angi-Fsai but much faster and more intense. Not knowing what a seat belt was, she would had slid out of her seat had she not braced her feet against the underside of the seat and her knees against the seat in front of her. One hand clutched at the underside of the seat, where the upholstery met the metal frame, and the other, though original braced against the seat as well, reached out to grab at her necklace before it fell and was lost.

In reaching for it, she almost lost her grip on the seat totally, as she threw herself off balance. And what's worse, the necklace – one given to every Fire Nation royal family member – would have been lost… Had it not been for Arnold snatching it out of the air and, still holding it, grabbing onto her hand. All this happened within a few seconds, and the next thing Azula knew they turned so sharply she was squashed up next to Arnold, who never let go.

Then they were on the ground. She relaxed her grip, fell onto Arnold, then straightened up, trying to look cool. He held out her necklace – a small, flame shaped piece of gold. She took it, then a deep breath, stood up, and held out her hand. The other kids laughed and milled out of the bus, not paying them any mind.

Cordially, she helped him up. Then looked away.

"I owe you an apology, commoner. You're not a weak flame. You're a fast one."

"I'm just glad you're okay. Don't they have seatbelts where you're from?"

Azula shook her head, still jolted from the ride.

"That explains it. Hey, c'mon! I don't want to miss the pterodactyl eggs hatching!" Arnold exclaimed, looking out the window with glee.

Azula was about to make a smart-aleck remark, but changed her mind. "Okay, let's see the pterodactyls."

And Ms. Frizzle smiled, satisfied, as they walked off the bus.

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Author's Note: We all know Ms. Frizzle knows how to fly the bus better than that. And she knew Azula has no idea what a seat belt is. Clever, clever woman – she's always got a plan. (I really like writing her for that reason. She's very creative.) As always, please review and try to enjoy the insanity.


	4. An Average Day

Azula was trying to keep her expression neutral.

She didn't want to look like the rest of these simple, common people – mouth gaping, eyes wide, and openly staring. It wasn't fitting for her rank. Folding her arms, she turned her head as if in distaste and watched out of one suitably narrowed eye as the dinosaurs emerged from their eggs. All the while she was aware, perhaps for the first time, how far she was from home. These plants and creatures reminded her of the drawings in the scrolls down in the Library of the palace; the old, yellowing, crumbling scrolls that she had to be incredibly delicate with and whose ink had faded to a dull gray.

The pterodactyls were, quite frankly, rather ugly. Bald and shaky, they sort of piled onto each other and took a nap. Azula rolled her eyes.

"Gee, that was exciting," she said sardonically.

"I dunno, I think they're cute," Phoebe said happily. "They're so little and helpless."

"So is Carlos," Azula said dully, "But you aren't fawning over him."

"That's a ptero-ble shame."

"CARLOS!"

Keesha groaned and even Ralphie cringed. Azula half-seriously considered setting Carlos on fire, but given how annoying he was he'd probably make some joke about burning tempers… or something equally stupid. Ms. Frizzle was the only one who seemed to have the patience to give him a pity laugh, and Azula wondered how she dealt with this everyday.

"Are you sure Carlos is really a member of your nation?" Azula asked Arnold coolly, "I could swear I've seen some court jesters fired that could be his real parents."

"No, Carlos is from here," Arnold said with a smile. "Maybe those are his long lost cousins."

"Wow," Carlos grinned, "That's _relatively_ cool."

Everyone groaned.

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A full day of dinosaur watching did not yield any moments of interest for Azula.

Mostly, she was still trying to adjust to dealing with these people. Carlos was, by far, one of the most irritating people she'd ever met. Arnold was, by contrast, actually intelligent. Tim was a very observant person, and she admired his politeness. Dorothy Ann seemed to be on equal level with Arnold in intellect, but most of her knowledge came from books. Phoebe was somewhat annoying, but never intended it, in fact she seemed to be one of the sweeter students.

Azula sighed and rubbed her eyes as they got off the bus.

Then it hit her as the kids streamed out of the brick building.

"Ms. Frizzle?" she asked, with the first real hint of unease in her voice, "Where am I going to stay?"

Sometimes the look on Ms. Frizzle's face was a good indicator of her intentions. Azula had been used to the quirky, slight expressions of Fire Nation people, and the wide grins and over movement in the faces of these people were strange to her. Be that as it may, it does not take a genius to tell when the Frizz has big plans, and Azula's stomach sank down to her shoes. Azula swore Yue must be getting her revenge on her, and made a mental note to have a meditative conversation with the Goddess to see why fate had dealt this to her.

"Leave everything to me," Ms. Frizzle said, then beckoned to Arnold. "My dear boy, would you mind letting Azula hang out with you for a while?"

Azula and Arnold both stared at her like deer caught in headlights.

"Excellent!" Ms. Frizzle beamed, and in a blink of an eye she was gone, like a candle put out suddenly.

Arnold often wondered why Ms. Frizzle did what she did. Why she chose field trips she knew very well he couldn't handle, why she always seemed to be giving him more responsibility than he could deal with, and why she was so keen on taking chances. At this point he didn't even want to think about why she had, essentially, dumped a foreign student on him – a pretty one, but still – out of the blue. He just accepted it as another of the Frizz's duties given to him whether he liked it or not.

He couldn't take Azula to the library. She didn't seem like the type who would even consider going there without just cause. The arcade was bound to be jam packed right now, and he didn't like crowds. He didn't want to take her anywhere boring or stupid, and he wondered if they even had playground equipment where she was from – that ruled out the park as a choice. His house? No, that would be boring and his room was a mess. (The _one_ day he needed it not to be!) He was out of options…

Until Azula's stomach growled and he realized she hadn't eaten lunch, just sat and talked to Tim about triceratops as Tim ate his lunch.

"You wanna get something to eat?" he asked her. To his surprise, she shook her head, although her expression said otherwise. "Why not? I know this great fast food place, all the kids from my – our – school go there." She shook her head again. "If you don't like the crowd, we could eat at one of the outside tables."

"I…" Azula stood straighter. "I couldn't ask someone of lower rank to buy food for me. It's rude and I have no means of paying you back."

"You don't have to!" Arnold smiled at her. "I mean, it's no big deal, I don't mind."

Azula looked as if she might refuse anyway, but her stomach growled and she clutched it with a cringe. "Just this once. Never again. Promise?"

"Sure."

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Azula's usual diet was fish, beans, seaweed, rice, leaves of various kinds, and the occasional bird meat. For the most part, her food was always a soup of some kind, due to her mother's fondness for grinding up various vitamins into Azula and Zuko's food.

So she had to let Arnold order. Then she had to ask what on Earth they were eating.

Arnold tried to be polite, but he wanted to laugh. "This is a hamburger, that's a milkshake, and those are French fries."

Meat in a bun, a milk-drink. She understood those. What 'French fries' were, however, baffled her.

"What are these made of?" she cautiously picked a fry up, noting with an odd expression how it bent slightly.

"Potatoes."

Oh. That was okay, then. She had potatoes all the time at home. Now that she knew what these things were, she had no problem eating her food quietly as Arnold sipped his milkshake and watched her. He hoped he wasn't spoiling her dinner, but she'd gone without lunch, so maybe this was okay?

He'd never seen her as close as when they sat in the booth together. She looked like any other kid, really. Was she missing her old food right now? What did kids in her country eat? He didn't ask. Arnold wasn't someone to wreck a peaceful moment.

And indeed, Azula seemed a lot more at ease now that she'd had something to eat. Her features seemed much softer when she relaxed, and they walked around for a while, not really headed anywhere. After a while Arnold began asking a few questions, not sure how far he could push his luck. To his surprise, Azula, now soft-spoken, had no problem talking to him.

Apparently her family was high in power. She had a brother named Zuko and two best friends ("like sisters, but one's insane and the other's creepy") Ty Lee and Mai. She liked to practice cartwheels and somersaults in her spare time. She usually had breads and soups at home, but they had things similar to burgers during festival times. Her country was at war but everything was peaceful in the center of the nation.

Arnold tried to picture her world. It seemed kind of normal. Kind of normal family, some friends, even a school, though it was all girls.

All conversation stopped when Ms. Frizzle came out of Arnold's house, beaming.

"What-?" Arnold started, but Ms. Frizzle cut him off.

"Azula, I've arranged for you to stay at Arnold's house for the rest of your time here. Isn't that wonderful?" she smiled. "Arnold, be sure to treat her like a princess. Now, if you don't mind, I have an underwater basket weaving class at 6…"

Silence.

Then, from both of them…

"Underwater basket weaving?!"


	5. An Introspect

"Underwater basket weaving?" Azula shook her head. "That's... insane."

Arnold sighed, "No, that's Frizz."

Arnold's house was small by Azula's palace standards, but it was warm and smelled of cooking. Not a familiar smell like rice or buns, though. Curiously, she looked around. The tables were high, with chairs like an Earth Kingdom table, and the floors were tiled like a Fire Nation house. The lights were electric like the ones in the science hall in the Palace. She examined the room, coming to the conclusion that yes, this whole place was indeed quite insane. A variety of familiar and unfamiliar objects stood before her, but three specific things caught her eyes.

"What are these doing here?" she asked, confused as she picked up a scroll.

Arnold's mother smiled warmly at her. "Ms. Frizzle left them for you. They're from your family and friends."

Azula blinked as she opened the first one, then grinned. "Typical Uncle Iroh." She chuckled. "He couldn't be serious to save his life, the fool. How he and my father can be related, only Agni knows."

She shoved the scroll at Arnold, then looked at the next one.

"Who's it from?" Arnold asked politely as Azula's light brown eyes scanned the Chinese characters.

"My friends, Ty Lee and Mai." She rolled her eyes. "Apparently Ty Lee sprained her ankle trying to walk across a tightrope she set up between the cookhouse and the servant's quarters, and Mai had to carry her." A sadistic grin twisted Azula's features. "I'm not sure which would be funnier, the looks on the cooks faces or Mai trying to deal with Ty Lee's crying. I swear, the second I leave, things finally begin to get interesting!"

Again throwing the scroll at Arnold, she picked up the last scroll.

"This one came with a package, too," Arnold's mother handed it to the Fire Nation girl, whose expression had gone sour.

"It's from my mother," Azula said, sounding surprised, and not in a good way. "Huh, I didn'think she cared."

Arnold stepped closer as Azula gingerly opened the cloth wrapped package. Inside, there was a comb shaped like a flame, made of metal that he would bet was actual gold, and a picture of two girls – no doubt Ty Lee and Mai, or 'Freaky and Creepy', as Azula dubbed them. Ty Lee was beaming a little too wide and Mai was frowning a little too much for Arnold's taste, but they did look interesting together. Then, beneath that, wrapped in silk, was a family portrait.

Lord Ozai, who the Frizz had said was Azula's father, had cold eyes like Azula, but a small smile was on his pale, well groomed face, and his black topknot was done perfectly, not a hair out of place. Beside him, grinning widely with his eyes closed, was who Arnold could only assume was Azula's funny uncle, his graying hair not as well done and his mirth obvious. Behind them stood a man who appeared to be their father, old and regal, face caught between annoyance and amusement but with a regal air about him. Standing next to Ozai was Ursa, obviously Azula's mother, her long black hair almost entirely down, her arms around the children. Her face was gentle and loving. There was a boy with dark, unruly hair who greatly resembled the father, and then there was Azula, looking as she did now; angry and spiteful despite everyone's else having a smile on their face. The family highly resembled one another, black hair and golden eyes, but Azula stuck out with her annoyed little pout. Arnold thought it was almost cute.

"This was from last year's Agni Kai week," Azula cringed. "Zuko looks so stupid in this picture. He could at least dress up for holidays, you know?"

Arnold sighed, because Azula's comments were wearing on his nerves, but he changed the subject as best as he could. "Your mom looks nice."

"Wanna know a secret?" Azula said suddenly, with a dangerous gleam in her eyes. Before Arnold could reply, she told him softly, "My mom does my dad's hair for him. She has since he was ten - he never learned. Can you imagine?"

Arnold ran a hand through his own hair. "I'm glad my hair can't grow that long."

Azula blinked, then randomly reached out and yanked on his hair. "Wow, it doesn't straighten at all," she noted as the hair fell into its unmanagable curls. Thoughtfully, she attempted to gather it up on his head. It fought back, falling into place instantly. "I suppose you could grow a top knot and shave the rest. Then it might not be so weird."

Arnold's mother grinned at her son's horrified expression. "I don't think a top knot would work for him."

"Hmm," the Fire Nation girl replied, "He could shave his head and grow a beard. That's what some of the Generals in the navy do."

Arnold groaned. "You know, I'm just gonna stay with my normal hair."

Azula sighed. "Fine, just ignore my good advice. You'll be sorry when you're older and you visit me, and all the boys look better than you." She paused. "Why is there a rock on the kitchen table?"

"I collect rocks." Arnold explained, as Azula picked it up without asking - a gesture he somehow totally expected from her, given that she was royalty and not exactly the greatest person socially. "It's white granite."

"Neat. My uncle has a rock collection, too," Azula grinned, "My mom hates it. It's never organized, especially all the sulfur."

"He has sulfur?" Arnold's eyes lit up like a child at Christmas. "I always wanted sulfur! Where'd he get it?"

Azula groaned. "Another rock lover. Fan-tas-tic."

Arnold's mother laughed, "You get used to it," and for the first time, Azula felt like she was at home.

- -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- -

There had always been two sides to Azula.

There was the kind side. The side that was almost like a normal child. A bit bold and a bit lacking on manners, but normal. Happy. Playful. Talkative. No, that wasn't it - chattering. There was a part of her that was just like her mother, chatting and open to everyone. Part of her was totally carefree and uncalculated, a normal girl who wanted friends and talked about hair styles and played tag with Mai and Ty Lee in the gardens of the palace. This side of Azula wasn't dangerous at all. She wasn't anything over than a person.

Then there was that part of her, the part that combined her father's cruelty with her mother's sharp mind. The part that liked being in control. The part that could rip someone apart with words, hit someone when they annoyed her or shove them down when they outdid her. Manipulative. Conniving. Self serving. Every word out of her mouth could be cold and calculated to make the people around her bend to her will. She was just like her father, selfish and unable to love and _violent_. This side of Azula enjoyed making people cry and seeing people fight because of something she'd said.

It also kept people away from her. She knew their dirty little secrets and had their trust without earning it, because she'd inherited her father's charisma. But the people she made and broke backed off from her. They didn't see the splintering. They thought it was all one continuous person, not two parts of a whole. As long as no one recognized that she bounced back and forth, they couldn't get close to her while she was being childish. They couldn't get to her secrets, her fears and hopes. The mask of a fire bending prodigy princess with a sadistic streak was too much for people to handle. They didn't want to get burned.

But there was another part of the equation she hadn't considered until she met Arnold.

Did she want someone to be that close? Did she want to be her father and never let anyone (even his wife and children) close enough to be loved? Did she want to be her mother and leave herself open to everyone and anyone, to be broken at will? Arnold had no agenda. He had no way of rising to power through her. He was a neutrality in her life, a life filled with hidden motives and backstabbers. She wasn't sure how to react. She didn't know how. This had never happened before. Could she have a real friend? Was it too risky? What if there was more to this than met the eye? Father would tell her never to leave herself open. Mother would tell her to make friends with him.

Their daughter simply acted as if there was no battle in her head, no war waged between the opposing sides of her. She smiled, talked through dinner, and fell asleep on the couch halfway through a TV show on rocks. No one had ever gotten close enough to her to see that there was a problem. Fast asleep, Azula thought hazily to herself that if she could manage it, she'd like to keep it that way. Even better, she'd like to make people think that there wasn't anything other than the good side of her. Maybe she could do that here.

Little did she know that would make her bad side all the more explosive when it eventually showed through again.

No one could cast off their mask of fire so easily.


End file.
